Process Engineering articles from September 2002

Process Engineering archives from September 2002

Roche sells vitamins and fine chemicals to DSM for [euro]2.25billion. (News).
September 1, 2002... Dutch chemicals major DSM has continued its transformation into a life sciences company by agreeing to pay [euro]2.25billion for Roche's vitamins and fine chemicals division. The deal also clears away Roche's last remaining non-pharmaceuticals...

Dynamic in fluids. (News).
September 1, 2002... The BHR Group has signed an alliance with the Thermal and Fluids Engineering division of Australia's CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) to develop, promote and market process technologies based on fluid...

Centerman out as ABB axe falls. (News).
September 1, 2002... ABB chairman Jurgen Dormann, former chief executive of Hoechst, has taken the reins of the Swiss-Swedish engineering firm after its president and chief executive, Jurger. Centerman, was forced to resign. The company had sold most of its...

Carbon Trust takes on ECA. (News).
September 1, 2002... The Carbon Trust has taken over the running of the Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme, which allows companies to claim tax-relief on equipment which reduces energy consumption, from the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural...

Rotork lands oil sands contract. (News).
September 1, 2002... Canadian oil firm Syncrude, which specialises in recovering crude oil from oil sands, has awarded Rotork a contract to supply electric and pneumatic valve actuators to an [pounds sterling]8billion facility being built in Alberta. The plant,...

Powder boost for British Rema. (News).
September 1, 2002... Powder processor British Rema has bought Sussex-based Universal Processes and Plant, a specialist in densification and slide gate valve technology. Universal's operations will be transferred to British Rema's headquarters in Derbyshire, where...

Engineering's health check. (News).
September 1, 2002... The UK's engineering sector, generally portrayed as being in decline, is in fact in good health, and could be world-class, according to the chief executive if the Engineering Manufacturers' Training Organisation, EMTA. Michael Sanderson said...

BNFL to advise on UK nuclear aid. (News).
September 1, 2002... BNFL Environmental Services has won a three-year contract to work with the Department of Trade and Industry, providing nuclear safety assistance to Central and Eastern European countries and the former Soviet Union. The company, which...

Sensors cut Invensys debt. (News).
September 1, 2002... Invensys has agreed to sell its sensor systems business to Honeywell for $394million ([pounds sterling]245million). with the proceeds going to reduce the British firm's debt. The sensor systems division produces equipment for a range of...

Siemens named top drives maker. (News).
September 1, 2002... Market analyst Frost & Sullivan has identified Siemens as Europe's leading manufacturer of low-power ac drives, as it controls 15 per cent of the $1.31 billion market. Presenting Siemens with a Market Engineering Leadership Award, Frost &...

CompAir to shift production. (News).
September 1, 2002... CompAir, newly independent after its management buy-out from Invensys, has announced plans to phase out manufacturing at its High Wycombe plant. Production of rotary screw compressors will move to Simmern in Germany. The company is also...

Aveva forms asset link. (News).
September 1, 2002... Aveva Group has joined forces with engineering information management company Pearson-Harper to supply asset management software to the process industries. Pearson Harper is providing information and content management services which will be...

Gas compression contract for AMEC. (News).
September 1, 2002... AMEC has been awarded a [pounds sterling]48million contract to design, build and commission a gas compression station at Bathhurst, near Edinburgh, for Transco.

BOC wins Queen's Award. (News).
September 1, 2002... The IPX vacuum pump has won a Queen's Award for Innovation for BOC Edwards -- the company's sixth Queen's Award.

Offshore project for Peter Brotherhood. (News).
September 1, 2002... Australian oil company Four Vanguard has ordered a steam turbo alternator set, worth [pounds sterling]650 000, from UK engineering firm Peter Brotherhood.. The altemator, which will generate some 4.5MW of power, will be installed on a floating...

Shell licenses desulphurisation. (News).
September 1, 2002... Shell Global Solutions has awarded a licence to the NATCO Group to market its Shell-Paques biodesulphurisation process in the US. The process uses soda and thio-bacillus bacteria to remove [H.sub.2]S in natural and synthesis gas streams by...

Chemist to take the reins at BASF. (News).
September 1, 2002... With two of the chemical industry's longest-serving executives due for retirement, BASF's board has some big shoes to fill. The company has promoted jurgen Hambrecht to succeed Jurgen Strube as chairman of the company, Europe's largest...

Expanding business triggers welsh office opening for CEL. (News).
September 1, 2002... Engineering contractor CEL International has opened an office in South Wales, to serve three of its major clients and to help secure new business. The company has three ongoing projects in the area: with Borden Chemicals, for whom it...

Polyethylene project for Simon Carves. (News).
September 1, 2002... SembCorp Simon Carves is to join forces with its Taiwanese partner, CTCI, and BASF-YPC's Chinese subsidiary to build a low-density polyethylene plant in Nanjing. Set to be China's largest LDPE plant to date, the facility will produce 400...

If the medium is the message, what price mathematics? (Comment).
September 1, 2002... A recent report in the Guardian highlighted the fact that the number of A-level students gaining entry to university mathematics courses has slumped since last year. The 5.9 per cent fall -- from 3632 to 3418 -- compares with a 5.2 per cent...

Events.
September 1, 2002... 8-10 October Powtech 2002, TechnoPharm 2002 and ExploRisk 2002 make up a trio of related exhibitions in Nuremberg. As its name implies, Powtech embraces bulk solids handling and processing technologies. TechnoPharm covers the development,...

Time for change. (Process Economics).
September 1, 2002... Recent changes in the availability of certain national statistics have caused us to revisit and review the basis of the long-running PREDICT plant cost indices. Here we give the background to, and the effects of, these changes As regular...

Knowing their onions. (Research & Technology).
September 1, 2002... They may sound like the aftermath of an unfortunate culinary experiment, but carbon onions may become an important weapon in the arsenal of catalytic materials. Formed from nested shells of fullerene spheres, carbon onions are already revealing...

Spray that again. (Research & Technology).
September 1, 2002... Aerosols are dangerous. Recent studies have shown that suspensions of pollutant droplets in air are linked with heart attacks and respiratory problems, especially when the droplets are around 2.5microns across. But because aerosol particles are...

Cash crop yields gold. (Research & Technology).
September 1, 2002... Gold's thermal and electrical conductivity, and its resistance to oxidation, makes it a vital material for semiconductor devices, and as these become ever smaller, the size of the particles needed to make wires and connectors is also...

Cleaning up steam supply. (Marketplace).
September 1, 2002... The Armstrong CS Series from Trouvay and Cauvin uses steam direct from the boiler to produce safe, clean steam ideal for humidification, It is often at its most effective as a dedicated package working independently of other building services...

How to skin a rice pudding. (Equipment in Action).
September 1, 2002... This sticky problem affects industrial processors as much as cooks in the kitchen, as Swedish company Procordia Food found when it wanted to increase production of its market-leading rice pudding snack, Risfrutti, at its Orebro plant in Sweden....

Locking in safety at Nestle. (Equipment in Action).
September 1, 2002... Maintenance staff at Nestle's Chilled Desserts plant at Staverton, Wiltshire, are using Lockout Bags from Castell Iso-Lok to ensure safety while carrying out maintenance work on the wet mixing operation. Originally designed for enclosing...

First retrofit for membrane technology. (Equipment in Action).
September 1, 2002... At its sewage treatment works in Masham, Yorkshire Water has installed the first retrofitted membrane bioreactor (MBR) in the UK. Just four MBR plants have so far been put into operation in the country, all of them built from new in the last...

Intelligent actuators for regenerative power plant. (Equipment in Action).
September 1, 2002... IQ intelligent electric valve actuators from Rotork Controls are being used in the world's first full-sized power plant to use the Regenesys regenerative fuel cell technology. Now nearing completion on a site next to Innogy's Little...

Keeping the green country green. (Equipment in Action).
September 1, 2002... One of the largest processors of farmed salmon in Ireland, Kilkerrin Salmon of Co Galway had a problem with its waste handling and processing operation. The waste from the 10000-15 000 tonnes of salmon processed each year consists of fish...

A good job well done: the Malampaya onshore gas plant plays a vital role in the Philippines' nascent natural gas industry. Its design, engineering and construction has won plaudits for main contractor Foster Wheeler. (Plant Contracting).
September 1, 2002... Inaugurated on 16 October last year, the $4.5billions Malampaya deep-water gas-to-power project opens up a new era for the Philippines' economy as the country starts to exploit its substantial offshore resources. Natural gas is being extracted...

Taking a wider view. (Plant Contracting).
September 1, 2002... The engineering, procurment and construction (EPC) market is driven by achievements, challenges and change. Liz Moore vice-president and general manager of engineering and technology at Parsons, explain the effects of these drivers on her...

Mix it up, dry it out: Stuart Nathan looks at how manufacturers of process dryers are adding functionality to their equipment to improve energy efficiency and product quality. (Process Drying).
September 1, 2002... Processes which consume energy are attracting increasing attention from engineers. In these energy-conscious times, operators are anxious to cut their fuel bills. This might not so be difficult when electricity is involved, but when the...

The problems with Pellistors: sensors which detect flammable gases must be reliable. Allen Mabbitt looks at the trouble with Pellistor detectors, and suggests a new solution. (Equipment Focus: Sensors).
September 1, 2002... Flammable gas sensors are used extensively in hydrocarbon plants to detect and give warning of the buildup of explosive levels of combustible gases, most typically methane. A typical plant can have from 50 to 2000 of these sensors, which cost...

Flotronic 'tops' it off! (Advertisement Feature).
September 1, 2002... When Hazlewood Pizza were planning their new pizza factory at Deeside, they turned to Flotronic Pumps to handle their range of tomato toppings and as a result have now installed five Slimline Ultraclean pumps as part of the new plant. Part...

Faster, safer and greater flexibility with 'one-nut' pump. (Advertisement Feature).
September 1, 2002... Akzo Nobel UV Resins needed to improve their tanker unloading of Acrylic Acid. Having used Flotronic Pumps for many years throughout their site they asked FPL for help. The solution was a HiFlo 710 Series pump, complete with Rupture Protection...

Flotronic puts the 'double' into Double Diaphragm pumps. (Advertisement Feature).
September 1, 2002... Leading Air Operated Double Diaphragm pump company, Flotronic Pumps Ltd, achieve the 'double' with their Slimline Ultraclean Pump! Following their success in 2001, winning the prestigious Food Hygiene Award, they have now added the coveted...

Safe and easy to mount. (Equipment Focus: Sensors).
September 1, 2002... Omron Electronics' E3FS photoelectric safety sensors allow protection comparable to a safety light curtain to be achieved, but avoid the difficulties of mounting light curtains. Using standard M18 cylindrical bodies, the sensors use far less...

Set for harsh environments. (Equipment Focus: Sensors).
September 1, 2002... Ideal for harsh chemical environments, Mettler Toledo's combined pH/temperature sensor boasts several features designed to cut maintenance costs. The InPro 4800 gel electrolyte sensor features two separate electrolyte chambers with an extremely...

Small but accurate. (Equipment Focus: Sensors).
September 1, 2002... Raytek's MID (miniature digital) non-contact infrared temperature sensor contains the industry's smallest sensing head, according to the company. Providing 1 per cent accuracy across the 40[degrees]-1200[degrees]C temperature range, the sensor...

Torbar's flowmeter fits in and pulls out easily. (Equipment Focus: Sensors).
September 1, 2002... Developed preasy insertop into and retracton from pessurised pipelines Torbar Flowmeters hot tap averaging pitot tube flowmeters are suitable for liquid and gas flow measurement. The standard range is available for pipelines from 50mm to 3m...

No burn-out for ceramic-shielded proximity switches. (Equipment Focus: Sensors).
September 1, 2002... Designed for high-temperature applications which can often burn away conventional switches, the Sensors UK MI480 proximity switch range can withstand temperatures of up to 350[degrees]C. The switches can be used for object and position...

Clean probes can clamp at any point. (Equipment Focus: Sensors).
September 1, 2002... Two new hygienic temperature probes from IFM Electronic can be used with all common process adaptors, including DIN, OF, clamp and DRD types. This, the company says, allows the probes to be inserted to any depth in the process vessels without...

Compact package from gems. (Equipment Focus: Sensors).
September 1, 2002... Gems Sensors has launched an electrooptic liquid level sensor which, it claims, sports the high performance environmental capabilities of its main sensor range in a package only half the size. Just 35mm long, the sensor is the smallest in its...

Low-strength pH. (Equipment Focus: Sensors).
September 1, 2002... Measuring the pH of low-strength one media such as acid rain, river and take water, can pose technological problems. The sensors can take as long as five minutes to equlibrate silver chloride can teach out of the electrode casting diaphragm...

Variohm distributes BEI. (Equipment Focus: Sensors).
September 1, 2002... Variohm-EuroSensors has been appointed as the UK representative for US sensor manufacturer BEI Duncan's range of rotary and linear potentiometers, which are used for position sensing. The sensors have applications in heavy equipment, the...

Process firms return to PPMA. (PPMA Preview).
September 1, 2002... Rebranding itself as The production line event', the Process and Packaging Machinery Association (PPMA) show returns to Halls 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham on 24-26 September with a stronger emphasis than ever on...

GDL aims to be one-stop shop for OEMs. (PPMA Preview).
September 1, 2002... Formerly known as Gravatom Distribution, German motion control and automation specialist GDL Automation is showing a range of products aimed specifically at process markets at PPMA. The company is aiming to provide a one-stop service for OEMs,...

Pneumatics save energy. (PPMA Preview).
September 1, 2002... New vacuum conveyors are among the products on display at Piab's stand at PPMA. Based on the company's original design - which was the first vacuum conveyor to be approved by the US Department of Agriculture - the new conveyors are available in...

Cleaning up. (PPMA Preview).
September 1, 2002... Making its PPMA debut, Pharmatec Procip is displaying a range of skid-mounted clean-in-place systems on its stand. Designed specifically for installation into existing or new facilities, the systems all include inbuilt steam generation as...

High-shear hygienic mixers suit low viscosity products. (PPMA Preview).
September 1, 2002... Among the new products on display at Silverson Machines PPMA stand are updated models of the company's bottom entry high-shear mixers. Typically used for mixing highly viscous products with slow speed stirrer/scrapers, the mixers can also be...

Improvements for conveying. (PPMA Preview).
September 1, 2002... Portasilo Bulk Handling Systems is showing its Superflo dense-phase pneumatic conveying system and the Rotoflo low-profile discharge system at the PPMA Show, both of which have been reconfigured to improve their performance. The Superflo...

Variable speed focus for Control Techniques. (PPMA Preview).
September 1, 2002... Control Techniques is showcasing its variable speed drives at the PPMA Show, including the Unidrive, the Mentor DC model, and the Commander SE system, which has now been extended up to 37kW. The stand will also feature the company's Servo...

Fast strip-down for easy cleaning in food weighing. (PPMA Preview).
September 1, 2002... Volumetric filling is the focus of Avery Berkel's PPMA stand, with the star attraction its Neumo PM80 depositor. Capable of dispensing a wide range of viscous products into containers of 250g to 200litre capacity, the depositor is designed to...

Versatile instrumentation keeps British Sugar sweet. (Control Applications).
September 1, 2002... At its Wissington, Norfolk plant, British Sugar handles over 750tonnes of sugar beet juice every hour. Typically the thick juices extracted from the beet contain up to 65 per cent of sugar. The juices are repeatedly passed through filters for...

Brewers' delight at clamp-on meter. (Control Applications).
September 1, 2002... For some time, engineers at Coors Brewers in Burton-on-Trent had realised that they had no way of verifying their existing in-line flowmeters, or of measuring flow through unmetered pipelines. This was particularly important on CIP and water...

Driving down the cost of beer. (Control Applications).
September 1, 2002... A major upgrade of the bottling hail at the Adelaide brewery of the South Australian Brewing Company involved rebuilding the entire packaging conveyor system and its associated controls during a four-week shutdown window. Richard Boiwko,...

Safety upgrade for platforms. (Control Applications).
September 1, 2002... Safety control systems on the Claymore platforms in the Talisman field of the North Sea have been upgraded by ICS Triplex without any interruption to production. The project Involved extending and modernising the platforms' fire and gas...

Logic made easy. (Control Products).
September 1, 2002... The Crouzet Millenium II logic controller features a simple approach to programming--the beginner can be up and running in no time just by dragging and dropping function blocks. These extend to application specific function blocks for...

Blue is the colour. (Control Products).
September 1, 2002... Operator interfaces can be difficult to read at the best of times, but even more so in bright ambient light. Rockwell Automation claims to have solved the problem with a new Blue-Mode screen for its Allen-Bradley PanelView 550. With...

Making the most of Ethernet. (Control Products).
September 1, 2002... The new Factory Line Ethernet installation system from Phoenix Contact takes full advantage of Ethernet's low cost, speed and versatility in implementing automation systems, while still providing the powerful diagnostics, outstanding EMO...

User adjustable pressure transmitters. (Control Products).
September 1, 2002... The new PTX 7900 series of pressure transmitters from Druck feature piezo-resistive silicon technology providing a lightweight and cost effective alternative to traditional pressure gauges and swtches, They feature user-adjustable zero/span...

Touch and graphics. (Control Products).
September 1, 2002... The CIMREX 67 and 69 displays from Matsushita Electric Works are said to combine the benefits of a fully graphic display with the user friendliness of a touch screen. The terminals have a 5.7in graphics touch screen; the 67 model with a 16 grey...

Low installed cost for mass. (Control Products).
September 1, 2002... Compared with alternative mass flow devices, the TA2 thermal mass flow transmitter from Magnetrol is said to offer potential savings of up to 50 per cent. The thermal dispersion instrument is designed for use on air and gas flow...

Radar protects bin overfill. (What's New in Process Engineering).
September 1, 2002... Represented in the UK by Allison Engineering, K-Tek has introduced an ATEX certified radar level transmitter for overfill protection in storage bins containing powders with a low dielectric. The MT2000 solves the problem of poor pulse...

Versatile heat exchanger. (What's New in Process Engineering).
September 1, 2002... The versatile Platecoil prime surface heat exchanger from SWEP offers an efficient and economical heat transfer solution to a wide variety of industries. A cost-effective alternative to Pipecoil heat exchangers, Platecoil units can provide...

ABB explains EX designations. (What's New in Process Engineering).
September 1, 2002... Ex motor designations, according to the new ATEX directive, are explained on a new poster from ABB. For your free poster, please call 0800 7837491 501 on enquiry card

High accuracy from Fluke. (What's New in Process Engineering).
September 1, 2002... All the new ranges of Fluke digital multimeters (DMMs) feature true-rms measurements, vital for correct fault finding in circuits with non-linear loads, such as office equipment power supplies and adjustable speed drives. 'Average responding'...

Pigs flying to new levels. (What's New in Process Engineering).
September 1, 2002... Pig clearing of pipework has been used in industry for many years, but it is taken to new levels by IST Pigging Systems in terms of both cleanliness and the range of fittings available. Pig clearing can now be used in all applications from...

Customised data acquisition. (What's New in Process Engineering).
September 1, 2002... National Instruments FREE DAQ DesignerTM 2002 CD takes users through a step-by-step configurator to select the optimal software and hardware products for their custom data acquisition (DAQ) systems. Users answer questions about their...

Online source for Spirax Sarco. (What's New in Process Engineering).
September 1, 2002... Plant engineers, designers and OEMs now have instant access from their desktops to the most up-to-date Spirax Sarco product drawings following the launch of the CAD Resource Centre (www.spiraxsarco.com/cad). Drawings can be downloaded off the...

Quiet jet mills require less energy. (What's New in Process Engineering).
September 1, 2002... Netzsch Condux Jet Mills are taking the place of spiral mills, unidirectional jet mills and wet grinding systems, the company says. This is because they require less energy and have a more favourable price/performance ratio. The machine is also...

Less space, more cooling. (Marketplace).
September 1, 2002... A new range of compact Chill Rolls from APV Baker matches the needs of the powder coating industry for compact, simple plant offering the potential for increased profitability. Cooling and kibbling operations have been incorporated within a...

Intelligent inspection. (Marketplace).
September 1, 2002... The RECON digital inspection system from Everest VIT is the first zero set-up, rugged and intelligent system for power generation, chemicals, food and beverage, gas transmission, petrochemical, pulp and paper and refining and production. It...

Top award for compressor. (Marketplace).
September 1, 2002... Compair's regulated speed (RS) rotary vane compressor has won a top award at the annual TechniShow in Utrecht in the Netherlands. The RS Vane won best product in the pressurised air and vacuum technology category. The jury was impressed by its...

Infra-red emitters at Interplas. (Marketplace).
September 1, 2002... Heraeus Noblelight is showing its comprehensive range of infra-red emitters for the plastics industry at Interplas 2002 on 30 September to 4 October at the NEC Birmingham. On show for the first time will be the carbon infra-red twin tube...

Compact convection vacuum gauge. (Marketplace).
September 1, 2002... A new linear convection vacuum gauge from BOC Edwards provides accurate and reliable high pressure measurement up to atmospheric pressure. Believed to be the smallest such gauge on the market, the APGX-H is designed to be used on its own, or...

Pump vibration monitoring. (Marketplace).
September 1, 2002... Designed for installation at depths of up to 100m, Monitran's latest range of submersible accelerometers are ideally suited to installation on pumps, both in industrial applications and in the water industry in boreholes and remote pumping...

Customised enclosures. (Marketplace).
September 1, 2002... The latest publication from Sarel gives comprehensive details of its extensive range of customised sheet-steel, stainless steel and GRP enclosures. Ideally suited for applications requiring between five and 100 identical enclosures, these...

Profibus for temperature. (Marketplace).
September 1, 2002... Launched earlier this year, West Instruments' super compact MLC 9000 temperature controller is now available with Profibus. Originally, it was launched with Modbus, followed shortly by DeviceNet to cater for US markets. The new Profibus version...

Efficient dryer controller. (What's New in Process Engineering).
September 1, 2002... The new ultratroc refrigerant dryer control system from ultrafilter, ultrapulse, consumes only around a third of the energy used by dryers with conventional hot gas bypass control. The system adjusts the cooling performance of the dryer to each...

Tablet presses are good as new. (What's New in Process Engineering).
September 1, 2002... Tablet press manufacturer Manesty is now offering factory refurbished machines previously taken in part-exchange from new machine customers. These machines provide a cost effective route to additional capacity, supplied with the latest...

Interlocks isolate power supply. (What's New in Process Engineering).
September 1, 2002... Fortress Interlocks, the safety interlock specialist, has upgraded its basic locks, CL and BL, to make their operation smoother and simpler. The BL and CL guard against the hazards that may be encountered when gaining access to dangerous...